September 2010

September 29, 2010

TCU and Big East officials have discussed the Horned Frogs joining the conference, according to several sources close to the situation.

TCU has met with Big East officials within the past 30 days to discus the logistics of a move by TCU in either the 2011 or 2012 seasons, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

TCU Athletic director Chris Del Conte has been unavailable for comment while on business in New York and Philadelphia the past few days.

Del Conte, TCU’s sports information department said, was in Philadelphia for meetings about Mountain West Conference television contracts with MWC commissioner Craig Thompson.

TCU, which has played in the Mountain West Conference since 2005, would likely relish the idea of playing football in one of the six automatic qualifying conferences. Plus, with respected programs Utah and BYU leaving the MWC after this season, the prospects of the MWC gaining automatic status in the future has dimmed, despite the addition of third-ranked Boise State and No. 25 Nevada, along with Fresno State, joining the conference for the 2011 season.

One source said Villanova, which was invited to join the Big East in football several weeks ago but has yet to decide if it’s interested, is potentially a modifying factor regarding TCU joining the conference. It’s unclear whether a move by Villanova, which currently plays in the Football Championship Subdivision, to the Football Bowl Subdivision (previously known as Division I) Big East, would enhance or detract from TCU’s possible inclusion. Villanova already competes in the Big East in other sports, including the 16-team basketball conference and the 12-team baseball conference.

Del Conte said in a statement released Wednesday that “TCU is a proud member of the Mountain West Conference. During this period of an ever-changing landscape in collegiate athletics, there has been speculation on future conference affiliation for TCU. Our policy has always been and will remain to not respond to rumors. As part of serving our student-athletes and coaches, we can assure everyone that our No. 1 priority is to always protect TCU's best interests.”

TCU football coach Gary Patterson said after Wednesday’s practice he didn’t know anything about talks with the Big East, which was first reported by the New York Post Tuesday.

“We are in a situation that requires us to evaluate and analyze all our options including expansion and television,” one source told the Post. “There are a dozen or so schools that we’re looking at.”

Another source told the Star-Telegram that Del Conte is constantly in talks with representatives from different conferences and is constantly evaluating TCU’s best option moving forward.

Landry Jones’ numbers weren’t bad in his off-the-bench role in last season’s 16-13 loss to Texas. He completed 24 of 43 passes for 250 yards and a 35-yard, mostly-run TD to Ryan Broyles.But he threw two interceptions in the final eight minutes, the last into double coverage with OU at its 45-yard-line that enabled the Longhorns to run out the last 3:31.“You think about it sometimes,” Jones said this week. “Obviously, I’d like to play better.”A prevailing opinion is that Jones owns an edge over UT sophomore quarterback Garrett Gilbert because of experienced gained in both that game and those since.Jones doesn’t dismiss that idea.“(I’m) so much better off just knowing how to prepare for games and play in games,” he said, “because there’s so much emotion that goes into it. And you just kind of have to put your emotions aside and calm yourself down and just do what you do in practice.“Just doing those things has been big for me.”Shutting out the surroundings, he said, “It’s going to be a little easier.”

-- Mike Jones

Landry Jones’ numbers weren’t bad in his off-the-bench role in last season’s 16-13 loss to Texas. He completed 24 of 43 passes for 250 yards and a 35-yard, mostly-run TD to Ryan Broyles.

But he threw two interceptions in the final eight minutes, the last into double coverage with OU at its 45-yard-line that enabled the Longhorns to run out the last 3:31.

“You think about it sometimes,” Jones said this week. “Obviously, I’d like to play better.”

A prevailing opinion is that Jones owns an edge over UT sophomore quarterback Garrett Gilbert because of experienced gained in both that game and those since.

Jones doesn’t dismiss that idea.

“(I’m) so much better off just knowing how to prepare for games and play in games,” he said, “because there’s so much emotion that goes into it. And you just kind of have to put your emotions aside and calm yourself down and just do what you do in practice.

“Just doing those things has been big for me.”

Shutting out the surroundings, he said, “It’s going to be a little easier.”

Texas coaches list tailback D.J. Monroe (5-foot-9, 171 pounds), who has averaged 9.3 yards per carry, as a co-starter with Fozzy Whittaker for Saturday’s game. But Monroe has only seven carries, with six coming last week against UCLA.

Coaches are concerned about overusing Monroe, who struggles in pass protection and is not effective running between the tackles. But they want to get him the ball more often, which triggered his move back to running back after spending fall drills at receiver.

“It was so hard to get him the ball as a receiver,” Brown said. “Now, we can.”

Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert saw a personal streak of 33 consecutive victories as a starting quarterback end with last week’s 34-12 loss to UCLA. But he said he learned a lot in his first defeat since his high school days. What did he learn?

Gilbert said the Longhorns have “got a ways to go” as an offense, with the first orders of business being to “protect the ball better and.....finish drives.” Gilbert, who has thrown four interceptions in the last two games, placed most of the blame himself.

“Being my own toughest critic, I feel like there was a lot of stuff that I could have done a lot better for our team,” Gilbert said. “Taking it from the film and applying it to Oklahoma is what matters.”

TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte has been unavailable for comment since Tuesday afternoon when a story in the New York Post cited unnamed Big East sources as eying TCU as a future member school. Del Conte, who is in New York meeting with Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson, did issue a statement through the TCU sports information office. "TCU is a proud member of the Mountain West Conference," Del Conte said in the statement. "During this period of an ever-changing landscape in collegiate athletics, there has been speculation on future conference affiliation for TCU. Our policy has always been and will remain to not respond to rumors. As part of serving our student-athletes and coaches, we can assure everyone that our No. 1 priority is to always protect TCU's best interests."The exact nature of Del Conte's meeting with Thompson and why it's in New York is unknown.

College football is like everything else in life and runs in cycles - even in Oklahoma. The Bob Stoops' era that began with such amazingly fast results, not to mention a clear domination against rival Texas, has slipped. Of course, a lot of schools around the nation would love to "slip" the way OU has. OU suffered through a stretch where it was 1-3 in bowls, and three straight losses in national title games. Again, this slippage is good for a lifetime extension in a lot of places.But St. Mack is back even, pretty much, with The Coach Who Invented Football. UT has won four of the past five games against OU, a pair of national title game appearances and won championship.

One of the best assistant coaches in college football these days is A&M defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter. Hired away from Air Force last season, DeRuyter has been busy remaking the Aggies defense into respectable, something it hasn't been in a while. The Aggies are currently ranked No. 10 in the nation in total defense. Yes, yes, it came against Stephen. F Austin, La. Tech and Fla. International but it's a start. If the Aggies win the way they want, DeRuyter is going to get a head coaching job in the next few years.One slight advantage heading into Thursday night's game between the Aggies and No. 24 Okie State (USA Today poll) may be DeRuyter himself.Last season at Air Force, the Falcons destroyed Houston's PlayStation 3 offense and QB Case Keenum in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, 47-20. The Falcons forced six turnovers that day. The offensive coordinator for the Cougars that day was Dana Holgorsen, who is now the OC at Okie State."We got lucky last year; our kids played really well that day," DeRuyter said. "I don't have a coaches' number."So, was it luck?"I don't know if it was luck," DeRuyter said. "Our guys played well that day."OSU leads the nation in total offense, averaging 596 yards per game; it ranks second nationally in scoring with 57 points per game. Like A&M's defensive stats, OSU's offensive numbers have been built on playing wimps such as Washington State, Troy and Tulsa.If the Aggies win, DeRuyter's attacking schemes will have played a part.

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops has suspended sophomore receiver Jaz Reynolds indefinitely because of a Tweet posted on his Twitter page Tuesday in the aftermath of the on-campus shooting at Texas.

“Because of his insensitive remarks on Twitter relative to Tuesday's tragedy in Austin, we have suspended Jaz Reynolds from our team indefinitely,” Stoops said in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon. “Our rivalry with Texas will not come at the expense of dignity and respect.

“We have great concern for what happened in Austin and I am incredibly disappointed that someone connected with our team would react so callously. We have taken immediate action and I hope by doing so have illustrated how seriously we view this matter.”

Easily one of this season's saddest stories if that of Houston QB Case Keenum. He was a Heisman candidate who was going to lead the Cougars to a CUSA title, and maybe flirt with the BCS as well. But he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the third game of the season. He is scheduled to have surgery today.He could apply to the NCAA for a medical hardship and receive an additional year of eligibility, but that could be hard to get. Or he could have played his last game and see what happens with the NFL.

One NFL scout told me he wasn't too high on Keenum because "he's too short." My guess is that CK leaves for the NFL. If he does, good luck. He did an awful lot at Houston, and he deserves a better finish than watching games on crutches.

It sounds preposterous, but Iowa State can beat Texas Tech this weekend in Ames. Can, probably won't, but can. The Cyclones may be the most annoying team in the Big 12, an impressive feat considering how many pretender teams this conference features (looking at you, Kansas, Colorado, Baylor).The Red Raiders are favored by 7 points against Iowa State. Tech hasn't played since its loss in Lubbock against UT. The Red Raiders offense was neutered that evening, gaining just 144 yards. Expect that number to go up quite a bit against ISU. This game comes down to whether ISU QB Austen Arnaud (left) is actually healthy and can play effectively. If he can, the Cyclones can stay in this game. He's been playing with a bruised left shoulder, and played one series in ISU's most recent game, a win against Northern Iowa. If backup QB Jerome Tiller plays, TT should pull away in the second half.

If Arnaud plays, the game will be uncomfortable.Texas Tech badly wins to win its next four games - Iowa State, Baylor, Oklahoma State and Colorado before going to College Station on Oct. 30 in a game that could decide who finishes third, maybe even second, in the South.